Led by Chief Executive John Lee, a high-level Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delegation continued to proactively participate in the third Belt & Road Forum on International Cooperation in Beijing today.
Six government officials and nine non-official delegation members spoke or moderated at nine parallel forums. All members of the delegation also attended the nine parallel forums for full participation in the events of the forum.
Mr Lee, together with Financial Secretary Paul Chan, attended the forum’s opening ceremony this morning.
Speaking at the high-level forum on connectivity, the Chief Executive briefed the participants on Hong Kong’s work in and contribution to enhancing “hard connectivity” in infrastructure as well as “soft connectivity” in regulations and standards.
Mr Lee said that under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support from the country and being closely connected to the world, and has all along served as a two-way platform between the country and Belt & Road countries as well as a key link for the Belt & Road and global investment, business and trade.
He pointed out that in addition to providing an important channel for connectivity of capital under the Belt & Road Initiative, Hong Kong also serves as a premier gateway for passengers and goods from all over the world to the Mainland and vice versa. At the same time, Hong Kong is committed to promoting “soft connectivity”, including connectivity in professional services and people-to-people bonds.
Mr Lee said the Hong Kong SAR will strive to strengthen bilateral and multilateral economic and trade relations with Belt & Road countries, with a view to further enhancing the connectivity between the country and the world.
In his speech delivered at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation, the Chief Executive highlighted regional co-operation as an integral part of the concerted effort to develop the Belt & Road, and elaborated on how Hong Kong promotes co-operation on various fronts.
These include: actively promoting in-depth integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the initative, and joining hands with other Greater Bay Area cities in pursuing high-level regional co-operation; signing free trade agreements with 20 economies and investment agreements with 31 economies around the world; striving to seek for early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to deepen regional economic collaboration; signing memoranda of understanding on cultural co-operation with Belt & Road partner countries to foster arts and cultural exchanges; encouraging co-operation in education and training through the Belt & Road Scholarship and the Scheme for Subsidy on Exchange to Belt & Road Regions for Post-secondary Students, in addition to proactively mobilising the professional forces to collaborate with Belt & Road counterparts in training.
A Hong Kong Chapter moderated by Secretary for Justice Paul Lam was featured at the thematic forum on sub-national co-operation. Mr Lam, together with other speakers, shared with the participants Hong Kong’s strengths in international legal and dispute resolution services, business environment and financing as well as the latest developments in the participation and contribution of the younger generation in Hong Kong in the initiative.
Other topics covered were Hong Kong’s assistance for enterprises in tapping business opportunities and the work of the city’s professional services in promoting people-to-people bonds along the Belt & Road.
Mr Chan spoke at the high-level forum on green development; Mr Lam spoke at the thematic forum on clean silk road; while Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong spoke at the thematic forum on maritime co-operation.
Mr Lee and the delegation will return to Hong Kong tomorrow.
